Like A Child
by Marblez
Summary: After being tortured by Death Eaters Seamus is institutionalised, marked as insane. How do his friends cope with this, especially when they find out he dreams about Voldermort, and how will Neville react with his parents in the same state...
1. First Impressions

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, JK does, I just own this really strange freaky idea that's been playimng around in my head since I saw 'Don't Say A Word' on tv.

Like A Child

Chapter One, First Impressions

Dear Mr Potter,

I regret to be the one to inform you that your friend and agent Seamus Finnigan has been institutionalised after suffering the Cruciatus Curse. Feel free to visit him any time you want.

Your Sincerely,

Dr G.Gosling, care of St.Mungo's

Harry sighed and put the letter on his desk, another of his friends suffering because of him. He packed up his things into his bag and set off to St.Mungo's. He smiled at the receptionist and went up to the long term residents ward where Neville's parents resided. The witch at the door smiled at him.

"Are you here to visit Mr Finnigan?" she asked.

"Yes I am," Harry said.

"He's in a private room, number 534. Down there," she gestured to her left. Harry nodded and went to the room, on the door was a sign with Seamus's name and hospitol number on it. Looking through the window Harry saw a lone figur sitting on the floor in the corner, a blanket wrapped around them.

He entered and seamus looked up, tears falling from his eyes. Harry smiled kindly at him and moved to sit on the bed. Seamus watched him apprehensivly.

"Who you?" Seamus asked, his voice very much like a child.

"My names Harry, I'm your friend," Harry answered.

"My friend? Will you let me draw a picture?" Seamus asked.

"Are you normally allowed?" Harry asked.

"Nope, they say sharp pencils too dangerous but I want to draw, maybe I could draw with one of those funny pen things," Seamus said.

"I'll see if I can get you some when I next visit," Harry said.

"You gonna visit lots then?" Seamus asked.

"Whenever I can," Harry answered.

"Good, haven't got any other friends," Seamus said happily. With that he got up, wiped his face and climbed onto the windowsill, holding the bars across it tightly. "I like the veiw, it's pretty."

"I have to go now Seamus," Harry said quietly.

"Don't forget drawing," Seamus said absently still gazing out of the window. Harry laughed slightly as he left, pausing to watch through the window as Seamus stroked the glass keeping him inside.

A/N There we go, isn't loony Seamus sweet, he's not so sweet in later chapters though...


	2. Drawing

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, JK does, I just own this really strange freaky idea that's been playimng around in my head since I saw 'Don't Say A Word' on tv.

Like A Child

Chapter Two, Drawing

When Harry next visited he brought Ron and hermione and some felt tips and a drawing pad, all authorised by the doctors. Seamus was actually under the bed when they arrived, shouting at the nurse to leave him alone.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"Mr Finnigan refuses to take his anger management medicines," the nurse said, sounding as if she'd been trying to get him to for a long time.

"We'll get him to take them," Hermione offered. The nurse shoved the pot into Hermione's hand before fleeing from the room.

"Seamus? It's me, Harry. Your friend," Harry said quietly to seamus.

"Harry?" Seamus's voice was quiet and small.

"Yes, do you remember? I promised to bring you things to draw with and I did," Harry said.

"You did?" Seamus asked, his head poking out from under the bed.

"Yes I did, but I'm not aloud to give them to you until you take you medicine," Harry said.

"Nasty medicine makes me feel sleepy," Seamus said unhappily.

"Does it, well, I'll have a word with your doctors about it but to give you the drawing stuff I need you to take it just this once," Harry said, holding out his hand to Seamus.

"You promise I get drawing stuff?" Seamus asked.

"Yes," Harry said. Seamus put his pale and thin hand into Harry's and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. Hermione and Ron smiled at him, if a little worriedly at his state.

He was thin and pale, his eyes dull, his hair too long and dirty. There were dark shadows under his eyes and he was trembling. He wore a light blue t-shirt and thin trousers, no shoes.

"Who they?" Seamus asked as Hermione handed Harry the pot of medication.

"They're your friends too, Ron and Hermione," Ron and Hermione nodded. Ron was holding the drawing stuff for Harry and Seamus stared at it.

"Now take these Seamus," Harry said. Seamus grudgingly took the pot looking like a sulky child and put all of the tablets in his mouth at once and dry swallowed them.

"Draw?" he asked afterwords. Harry nodded and Ron held out the stuff which seamus snatched from him and sat in the corner of the room. "What colour should i use? Green? Yes I'll used green it's pretty," Seamus muttured to himself as he pulledo ut the pens, dropping most of them on the floor and then he opened the pad and began to to draw.

"What are you drawing?" Hermione asked.

"Dream," Seamus answered shortly, not looking up. "Go away now, drawing."

"But we came a long way to see you," Ron said sadly.

"How long?" Seamus asked, slightly interested.

"A 2 hour journey," Ron said.

"Do you know who this is?" Seamus suddenly turned his picture to them. On it was a tall cloked man with a skeletal face.

"Is this what you dream of?" Harry asked.

"Sometimes, he's always mean," Seamus said. "He points a stick at me and then i hurt in my head and then all over. I don't like those dreams." A few stray tears fell down Seamus's cheeks, he didn't even wipe them away.

"What else do you dream of?" Hermione asked.

"Um, red," Seamus decided, picking up the red pen he started to draw as cheerfully as if he hadn't drawn Voldermort. "I see this lots and lots." He showed them the picture and all of them smiled, it was a crude drawing of Hogwarts. "I like this dream better than the other one," He yawned widely. "Sleepy, going to bed." With that he crawled onto the bed, dropping the drawing stuff on the floor and went to sleep.

"We might as well go," Hermione said. The two others nodded and the three left together, leaving a childlike Seamus sleeping soundly.

A/N He dreams his memories, hhhmmmmm, helpful.


	3. Tears

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, JK does, I just own this really strange freaky idea that's been playimng around in my head since I saw 'Don't Say A Word' on tv.

Like A Child

Chapter Three, Tears

A year had passed since Seamus had been institutionalised and Harry Ron and Hermione visited him as much as possible. Dean refused to see Seamus in this state, as did Neville. Today they were helping Seamus tape more pictures to the walls of his room.

"Hey look," Hermione said quietly, showing harry one of the pictures. On it were six people, one had a lightning scar on their forehead and over the top glasses, another had really frizzy hair and another was really tall and with spiky red hair.

"It's us," Harry said, not understanding.

"But look who the others are," Hermione persisted. Harry did look and then he understood. One had dark skin, another was chubby and carrying a green blob and the last had long red hair. "Ginny's only visited once and Dean and Neville never have. That means he must have dreamed them."

"Seamus? Who are these other people?" Harry asked. Seamus blinked before answering.

"They always in the dreams in the nice place, the nice-colour one is always drawing something, the girl always laughing and the other boy always tripping up. Is that bad?" Seamus asked innocently.

"No it's good, very good," Hermione said quickly.

Neville peered through the window for first time the day after the trio's visit. He hadn't been able to stand seeing seamus until now, not with the fact that his parents were also insane and his Grand-Mother on her death bed.

Seamus was on the windowsill, humming to himself and stroking the glass. He seemed to sense someone was at the door and turned to look at Neville.

Neville flinched at Seamus's appearance, so like his parents, thin, pale, bags under his eyes. Seamus waved at him shyly and Neville having been brought up that not returning a wave was impolite waved back.

Seamus smiled innocently and indicated for Neville to come in. Neville shook his head slowly, but paused when he saw the tears well up in Seamus's eyes. Suddenly the Irish boy-no he was a man now flung himself down on the bed crying.

Neville, extremely worried forgot the sadness in his heart, opened the door and rushed to Seamus's side. Seamus's was sobbing incoherantly about scaring the nice man from his dream away.

"No Seamus, I'm here, you didn't scare me away," Neville said quietly, putting his hand on Seamus's shoulder. Seamus continued to wail loudly and Neville started to shake, this was how his mum got when she got upset. "Please Seamus, stop crying." Seamus sniffled and wiped his cheeks, gazing at Neville with his lips trembling.

"Want a hug," Seamus mumbled childishly. Neville froze, he hadn't hugged anyone since he was four, when his parents...when they...yes. Taking a deep breath he pulled Seamus into his amrs and rubbed his back as he remembered his mum doing when he was upset. Seamus pressed his face into Neville's shoulder and sobbed, not for any real reason, just because it felt good to sob.

And Neville shocked himself by crying withhis Irish friends, vrying for his parents , for his gran, for his friends and for himself. Especially for himself.

A/N There we go. Aw poor Seamus, don't you wanna give him a hug too?


End file.
